Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Single again, Linda Clayton is ready to let loose and have some fun. Jilted at a party, she met a younger man, Vaughn Reagan. He has an active imagination and allures her into his life by tempting her with seductive games.

Vaughn is thrilled to find a woman who doesn’t want children. He offers Linda a job so he can spend his days with her. Now, if he could only convince her to forget their age difference and enjoy the nights in his arms.

Excerpt:

“But did you meet anyone?” His father drilled the question at him like a staff sergeant. Ex-military, his voice struck the right chord to demand answers.

“Yes, but I’m . . .” he started, but his father interrupted.

“Then tell us all about her.”

“No.” Vaughn sprang from the couch and marched to the fireplace. Anger rumbled in his stomach, and a sour taste hit the back of his throat. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the blue flame rising from the blackened wood.

Every time he met someone new, his father pushed and prodded until he wormed every detail about his relationship out into the open. To shake his dad off his back, he usually complied. But not this time. His attraction to Linda was special.

Why? The question raced through his head.

He shook his head and refused the temptation to use their encounter as a temporary diversion to soothe his father’s doubts about his sexuality.

“And why not? Is she married or something?” his dad inquired.

Vaughn clenched his hands into fists. His dad hated being in the dark about any subject related to his children.

“Wait, Big John, Vaughn will tell us when he’s ready.” His mother’s voice offered a token of peace in a discussion that could quickly erupt.

“Well, I’m ready now. So spill the beans, boy. I want to know who this girl is.”

Vaughn whipped around to glare at his father. The concern marking his father’s brow eased, and a grin spread across his face. A strong emotion punched Vaughn in the chest. His dad might be a pain in the ass, but he’d been there in every major event in Vaughn’s life. At the hospital, while he’d been fighting his bout with cancer, his dad pestered all the doctors with his demands for a cure. Now, the same determination called for Vaughn to find a wife and settle.

A prior conversation sparked in Vaughn’s memory. “Are you sure it’s a woman?”

“What?” his mom squealed.

His father shook his head. “Good try, but we’ve already had that talk.”

“When did you . . .” His mother stood and tugged her hand free of her husband’s. “I can’t believe you’d ask him such a thing.”

Vaughn recognized the trouble he’d laid at his father’s door. His mom could impale a man with her wrath. “It was a while ago, Mom.”

“And I had to ask.” His dad hammered a few more nails in his coffin.

“Why?” Her hands flew in the air and finally landed on her hips. The high-pitched tone of her voice echoed off the high ceiling. “I can’t believe you, Big John. The boy has a right to a private life. But no, you have to meddle where you don’t belong.”

“Come on, April. He might be a tough guy, but he’s also my son. I want to know what’s happening in his life.”

“No, you don’t. You’re trying to run his life.”

“But he should settle down and find a good woman like I have.” He leaned forward and grabbed his wife’s wrist. “It’ll give him a passion for living.”

“You don’t know that. Not everyone is guaranteed happiness simply because they’re married.” She tugged on her hand and took a few steps backwards.

His dad grinned, rose quickly, and caught her in a bear hug. “They would be if they married a woman as lovely as you.”

“John,” his mom yelped, her feet dangling in the air, before his dad dove for a kiss.

Vaughn laughed. His father could always soothe his mom’s ruffled feathers. He wondered if he’d ever find the special bond they shared with someone. A strand of auburn hair on his sleeve caught his attention, and a picture of Linda flashed through his head.

Could she be the one?

His father glanced at him and released his tight hold on his mom. “So, son, why don’t you tell your busybody mother about your new girlfriend?”

Youthful Temptations is about a couple finding love and overcoming stereotypes. We see that we all have baggage, it’s a part of us, and those that love us don’t mind the load we carry. Awesome story, I really enjoyed Youthful Temptations.

Tagline: Facing the possibility of having breast cancer, Marianne must decide if she wants to give love another chance and build a future with whatever time she may have left.

Blurb:

After surviving the grief from her husband’s death, Marianne Clark has built a new life with the help of the other Executive Wives. She plans to enjoy grandchildren and friends until her doctor tells her he found a lump in her breast. Her world turned upside down. She re-evaluates her priorities and decides she grab hold of life with both hands.

Knox Turner lost is first wife to cancer. He’s determined not to let Marianne face this challenge alone.

Can this couple face the trails ahead and build a future together?

Excerpt:

“Wait—”

“Marianne, what are you doing here?” Sylvia Wilshire stood in the middle of the hallway. Tall and slender, she offered a radiant smile and brushed a wayward hand through her dark auburn hair. As beautiful as ever, Marianne couldn’t help but marvel at how her friend had changed in the last two years. She’d lost over a hundred pounds and had married Vince Wilshire. He also happened to be like both of their deceased husbands, an executive for Knox.

Sylvia strolled forward with the grace of a model, her green-eyed gaze full of curiosity. “I just drop by to talk to Vince for a minute.”

The man in question walked through the doorway of another office. He winked at Marianne and slid an arm around Sylvia’s shoulder. “It looks like these two beauties are keeping us from our conference call.”

“Damn,” Knox groaned and checked his watch. “We better get in there before Foster has a cow because we’re late.”

Marianne stepped aside to give him room to walk around her.

He paused next to her and glared. “I’ll call you later, and we’ll work out a time for us to get together.”

Tempted to disagree with his plan, she proposed instead, “As long as it doesn’t interfere with my other social plans.”

He groaned and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Someday I’m going to be the first and last thing you see every day. Then your activity calendar won’t matter.”

She lifted her hand ready to point out he shouldn’t say things like that to her in front of their friends. “Knox—”

Vince tugged on Knox’s arm and interrupted, “Come on, buddy before you get yourself in more trouble than you can get out of.”

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

I started this book after my mother died. I had never lost someone close and the pain was more than I could have imagined.

I spent my days working on stories to help me come to term with my loss.

The fictional story is of a spiritual nature. I had just read Sylvia Brown's book about spiritual guides so I found myself thinking about the family member who had passed before me.

So I developed a family where the orginal settlers in colonial times from the state of Ohio where the spiritual guides of a special member of their family in today's time. The person is the keeper of the Winston Estate.

Now, think about this. Would you like having your great, great, great, great grandfather telling you how to live your life?

Yes, he might understand things better than you do but would you want him judging your every move?

In "Summer's Growth," the family spirits have decided to change out the keeper. Mattie has been doing the job for over twenty years and the spirits feel it's time to get on with her life.

Amber is a young woman, who doesn't even know this leg of the family exist and is contacted to come for a visit. Would you go if someone claim you where going to inherit an estate?

As you can see this is a story of intrigue and mystery with strong paranormal elements. I love romance so could leave that out either.

Strangely as I was writing the book, I felt as if the spirits where talking to me guiding me as to what to write. Okay, I'm a writer and the character in our heads talk to us.

Blurb for Family Tree Club series-

Keeper of Winston
Manor Advised by spirits Carving out a future.

Blurb for "Summer's Growth"

A mainstream novel with romantic and paranormal
elements. It’s about two women, Mattie Winston, an almost fifty recluse who
lives on a lonely estate and guards generations of family spirits, and a young
college student, Amber Harrison, who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her
life. The Winston spirits decided that Mattie needs to develop a life outside
the estate and Amber is going to be the new family keeper, which throws the two
together.

Both travel down different paths of self-discovery but their
reliance on each other grows stronger after several scary moments. Mattie,
challenged by an old flame, rethinks the idea of love. Amber, faced with the
appearance of her distant grandmother’s ghost, decides to solve the mystery of
why her grandmother disappeared without a trace. By the end of the book, after
love is embraced and family secrets are revealed, Mattie and Amber are both
ready to meet their futures with enthusiasm as stronger more self-confident
people.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

What do you
have in common with your mother? Physical features, interests, ethics? I’m
lucky to have a mother who is creative, a world traveler, and a bit of a rebel.
It’s possible I inherited some or all of those traits from her.

We are also
both writers. I came to writing early, with my parents’ support – I’ve been a
professional working writer for twenty years. Mom wrote an occasional article,
along with business documents and a PhD thesis, before turning to fiction after
she retired. As a fan of mysteries, she decided to write her own. She set it in
Juneau, Alaska, where we lived while I was in high school. (I’m not featured in
the book, but our former dog Bandit is.)

Today we both
live in the Southwest – she’s in Arizona and I’m in New Mexico. I write
romantic suspense novels set in this region, including my Southwest Treasure
Hunters books. These are action-packed adventures with a touch of humor,
featuring quests for treasure – whether long-lost, recently hidden, or in human
form.

To celebrate
this Mother’s Day, I have a romantic suspense novel available for free, while
Mom’s cozy mystery is on sale for $.99.

“The Dead Man’s
Treasure is fast-paced and a perfect read for the weekend. I highly recommend
this one.”

Rebecca
Westin is shocked to learn the grandfather she never knew has left her a bona
fide buried treasure – but only if she can decipher a complex series of clues
leading to it. The hunt would be challenging enough without interference from
her half-siblings, who are determined to find the treasure first and keep it
for themselves.

Good thing
Rebecca has recruited some help. Sam is determined to show Rebecca that a
desert adventure can be sexy and fun. But there’s a treacherous wildcard in the
mix, a man willing to do anything to get that treasure – and revenge.

Action and
romance combine in this lively Southwestern adventure, complete with riddles
the reader is invited to solve to identify historical and cultural sites around
New Mexico.

“I can’t say
enough how much I loved this book! It
has mystery, adventure, danger, romance, and above it all family remains a huge
theme.”

The Dead
Man’s Treasure is book 2 of the Southwest Treasure Hunters novels. Each book features a different hero and heroine, and stands
alone with a happy ending. The first novel, The Mad Monk’s Treasure, is $.99
or free with Kindle Unlimited. The Mad Monk’s Treasure, “Smart romance with an ‘Indiana Jones’
feel,” has 4.7 out of 5 stars with 50 reviews.

“This is a
fast-paced mystery that keeps you guessing. It has good locale and character descriptions.”

If Kate Foland had known how her bed and breakfast guest would change her life,
she might have left her at the airport.

When Kate’s guest is shot to death while hiking in the Alaskan woods, Kate
feels compelled to investigate. Sandra Allison seemed like a perfectly nice
young woman. So who would want her dead?

Sandra’s archeology work often caused construction delays while Native
artifacts were removed. Did a Juneau builder follow up a threat with a gunshot?
Or was Kate the intended victim, since Sandra was wearing Kate’s coat and
walking her dog? And why is the dog suddenly acting like a scaredy-cat?

“... a fun story with a great sense of local flavor.”

“...hard to put down!”

“Knowledge of the Juneau area was evident, and at least a couple of the recipes
included appear as must tries.”

About the Authors

In case you’re
wondering why we have similar but different last names, Kris Bock is my pen
name for writing adult romantic adventures and mysteries. I write for children
under the name Chris Eboch.

As Kris Bock, I write novels of adventure
and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features
archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small
New Mexico town. What We Found is a
mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder
victim in the woods.

Each of the
Southwest Treasure Hunters books stands alone in a series mixing action and
adventure with romance. The Mad Monk’s
Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico
desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure,
estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of
complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon
Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a
mysterious man track down his missing uncle.

Sharon Eboch lives in Tempe, Arizona, where she
enjoys reading, quilting, and occasional social activism. Murder on the West Glacier Trail was inspired by her love of cozy mysteries
and her years living in Juneau, Alaska, with her family and a dog named Bandit
(featured in the book). Originally from Nebraska, she has also lived in Saudi
Arabia, San Francisco, and the Seattle area. She has a PhD in Human Development
and the Family, which she now mostly uses to attempt to understand her two
adult children.

Wednesday, May 2, 2018

For two years, Daniel and Karen have consoled each other
during the trails of losing their spouses. Now, they are ready to turn their friendship
into a loving relationship. After sharing a night of passion, all appears
golden for a bright future for Karen and Daniel until she receives a call from
her children saying her ex has had a heart attack.

Torn between, her need to support her children and her
desire to be with Daniel, Karen leaves him and flees to the hospital. Coming
face to face with her ex-husband’s new,
trophy wife, Karen begins to question exactly why her marriage fell apart. Was
she to blame, and if so, should she try again?

On the outside looking in, Daniel must now convince Karen to
let go of her past mistake and share a future with him?

Excerpt:

“Damn it, Daniel, if I find you
with a young chickadee like I did my ex-husband,” she growled as she trudged up
the staircase. “I might be tempted to...”

Her gaze immediately fell on the
empty king-size bed. Exasperated by her inability to find him, she quickly
scanned the entire room...desk area, open closet, bathroom... the door closed.
Light glowed through the seam between the floor and the bottom edge. “Daniel,
if you’re in the bathroom come out this minute.”

The entrance opened, and he stood
in the doorway.

Problem,
he wore only a towel.

Awe,
shit... she didn’t need to see his bare chest covered in crisp dark hair,
the sculptured muscles of his arms and shoulders, developed pecs, and thick
thighs.

Damn,
how was she supposed to resist such temptation?

Desire added to the anxiety she’d
already experienced on her drive here, lit her anger. “Why the hell didn’t you
answer your phone? I’ve been calling and texting you for the last two hours.”

A confused frown passed over his
handsome face. Instead of responding, he stepped to the bedside table. He
lifted his cell phone and clicked a few buttons.

Unable to contain her impatience,
Karen stalked forward.

He glanced up when she grew closer
and showed her the phone. “I don’t understand it. I don’t show receiving any
messages or calls. The signals must have gotten lost because of the storm.”

She’d suspected as much. Still, she
refused to let him off the hook because he could’ve contacted her before he
left town. “You should’ve called me. But no...”

Having endured his inability to
communicate for months now, she stabbed her finger through the air at him. “You
never call. You always expect me to phone you. Well, I’ve had it.”

The distance closed between them
and she stood inches from him. Her fingertip tapped his chest. Static
electricity sparked between them and her fist unfolded. She stumbled backward.

“Whoa.” Daniel caught her around
the waist with one hand and held her close. His phone landed on the bed before
he circled his other arm around her. His strong grip held her steady and didn’t
allow her to step away. “You’re right. I guess I’m just use to...”

“Don’t say it. I’ve heard it too
many times. Sharon might have resented the interruptions, but I’m not her. I’m
never in any type of meeting that you could possibly disrupt.” Karen spread her
hands over his chest and worked to maintain a smidgen of distance. Nevertheless,
with him so near, his warmth surrounding her in a seductive cocoon, she had to
fight the urge to melt against him.

“Yes, but if I called you whenever
I wanted we’d never get off the phone.” The husky tone of his voice pulled her
gaze upward.

Spying the silly grin on his face,
she shook her head. “Don’t play with me, Daniel. I was worried that something
bad might’ve happened to you.”

He cupped the back of her neck and
guided her head to his shoulder. “You worry too much. Nothing’s going to happen
to an old dog like me.”